Around thirty terminals which simulate body odor in order to trap tiger mosquitoes are once again installed in the town of Cannet in preparation for the summer season.
Le Figaro Nice
For the third year in a row, the town of Le Cannet, near Cannes (Alpes-Maritimes), will deploy anti-mosquito terminals on its territory during the summer season to eradicate in particular tiger mosquitoes, which are numerous on the Côte d’Azur. This equipment, worth 1000 euros each, disperses carbon dioxide to imitate human breathing in order to attract these insects and trap them. An olfactory lure also simulates a body odor, details the municipality, satisfied with these previous experiments. This year, nearly thirty automatic terminals are installed in defined areas and each of them can capture around sixty mosquitoes per week.
Mosquitoes are particularly happy in the Maralpin department due to a hot climate but also the numerous rivers which cross it. Stagnant water remains the most favorable place for their reproduction. This year, perhaps more than others, France will be particularly exposed to cases of dengue fever that these tiger mosquitoes can have at the end of their stings. The latest data from Public Health France warn of an unprecedented risk of imported cases. A chain of contamination with the awakening of these insects as summer approaches is therefore feared.
Preventive strategy
In Cannet, although cases may have been reported a few years ago, since the installation of the terminals, no new ones have been detected, indicate the city services. This preventive strategy aims to avoid the use of insecticides for one-off but important mosquito control operations, they argue. No other flying insect (bee, ladybug) can be trapped in these terminals, the municipality further assures. Before this new investment, the municipality also distributed larvicide kits to its residents.
Last year, the Regional Health Agency noted six cases of West-Nile virus infection (or West Nile virus) in the middle of summer, including three in the Alpes-Maritimes, near Antibes. . Nine cases of dengue fever had also been recorded in the department, which prompted the Nice town hall to launch a mosquito control campaign in the city center.
If Le Cannet is pleased to be the only city to bet on these terminals, its neighbor Cannes carries out targeted annual operations. Seven anti-larval campaigns are carried out each year, particularly around banks and rainwater valleys. From April to October, the Cannettane mosquito terminals will remain in place and the municipality is also considering leaving this device for the winter period in connection with temperatures which remain high. She would also like residents to equip themselves with these terminals, which are effective within a radius of 60 meters.
